James E. McWilliams Book Signing - "American Pests" July 31, 2008

The world of insects is one we only dimly understand. Yet from Mrs. Ellis's Housekeeping Made Easy, the nineteenth-century guide to using arsenic, cobalt, and quicksilver to kill household infiltrators, to the sophisticated tools of the Orkin Man, America has fought to eradicate the "bugs" it has learned to hate. Inspired by the still-revolutionary theories of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, James E. McWilliams argues for a more harmonious and rational approach to our relationship with insects, one that does not harm our environment and, consequently, ourselves along the way. Beginning with the early techniques of colonial farmers and ending with the modern use of chemical insecticides, McWilliams deftly shows how America's war on insects mirrors its continual struggle with nature, economic development, technology, and federal regulation. Join us as we welcome James E. McWilliams, signing his new book, American Pests.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of wordsmithsbooks.